1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to viscosity altering increasing compositions, and particularly plant fiber materials and highly refined cellulosic fibers (HRC fibers) by altering viscosity which have been treated with pectinase, cellulase, and/or pectinmethylesterase to modify the natural viscosity provided by fibers, and especially those fibers produced from plant mass and especially HRC fiber mass.
2. Background of the Art
Highly refined cellulose materials (HRC materials) are well known in the literature and are disclosed, for example, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/440,603, filed May 25, 2006, which is in turn a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/165,430, filed Jun. 30, 2005, titled “REDUCED FAT SHORTENING, ROLL-IN, AND SPREADS USING CITRUS FIBER INGREDIENTS,” which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/969,805, filed 20 Oct. 2004, and titled “HIGHLY REFINED CELLULOSIC MATERIALS COMBINED WITH HYDROCOLLOIDS,” which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/288,793, filed Nov. 6, 2002, titled “HIGHLY REFINED FIBER MASS, PROCESS OF THEIR MANUFACTURE AND PRODUCTS CONTAINING THE FIBERS.”
U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,654 (Hou et al.) describes affinity matrices for supports, including refined cellulose fiber supports forming enzymatic supports with linking moieties (e.g., aldehydes).
Materials and compositions that alter, and especially increase the viscosity of liquid compositions are referred to in the art by various names such as thickening agents, any variety of generally hydrophilic materials which, when incorporated in the compositions described herein, may act as viscosity modifying agents, emulsifying and/or solubilizing agents, suspending agents, and tonicity raising agents. It is contemplated that the thickening agents or viscofying agents may be capable of aiding in maintaining the stability of the compositions due to such properties. These agents may be inorganic (e.g., clays, silicas, metal oxides) or organic (polymers, corn starch, fatty acids, gelatin, carbohydrates, and the like) or mixtures thereof. Other specific examples include carbohydrates and their phosphorylated and sulfonated derivatives; polyethers, preferably with molecular weight ranges between 400 and 100,000; and di- and trihydroxy alkanes and their polymers, preferably with molecular weight ranges between 200 and 50,000, and polysiloxanes, especially poly dialkoxy-silanes with weight average molecuylar weights between 500 and 100,000. The control of viscosity is usually a direct function of the amount of the viscosity modifying agent added to the composition. Some viscosity modifying agents are even responsive to the amount of shear force applied to the solution or dispersion (e.g., thixotropic agents).
U.S. Pat. No. 7,186,680 (Caswell et al.), “Laundry System Having Unitized Dosage” describes shape retention polymers useful in detergents that are transferred to fabrics. These shape retention additives are described in detail with examples of natural shape retention polymers are starches and their derivatives, and chitins and their derivatives. Starch is not normally preferred, since it makes the fabric resistant to deformation. However, it does provide increased “body” which is often desired. Starch is particularly preferred however, when the consumer intends to iron the fabrics after they have been washed and dried. When used, starch may be used as a solid or solubilized or dispersed to be combined with other materials in the composition. Any type of starch, e.g. those derived from corn, wheat, rice, grain sorghum, waxy grain sorghum, waxy maize or tapioca, or mixtures thereof and water soluble or dispersible modifications or derivatives thereof, can be used in the compositions of the present invention. Modified starches may include natural starches that have been degraded to obtain a lower viscosity by acidic, oxidative or enzymatic depolymerization. Additionally, low viscosity commercially available propoxylated and/or ethoxylated starches are useable in the present composition and are preferred when the composition is to be dispensed with a sprayer because of their low viscosity at relatively high solid concentrations. Suitable alkoxylated, low viscosity starches are submicron-size particles of hydrophobic starch that are readily dispersed in water and are prepared by alkoxylation of granular starch with a monofunctional alkoxylating agent which provides the starch with ether linked hydrophilic groups. A suitable method for their preparation is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,283.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,071,155 (Griese et al.) describes non-polymer thickening agents for cleaning compositions.
All references cited in this document are incorporated in their entirety by reference.